Two Letters Re: Questions on Faraday Cages and Radiological Survey Meter EMP Resistance

Mr. Rawles,
I am an RF and EMC engineer. I’ve worked nuclear EMP issues for a couple of decades.
You were fairly right on – a Faraday cage (or “shield room”) is hard to build. It can be done with fine mesh – similar to window screen but made from copper wire – but the penetrations and doors are always the problem. Mesh will not protect you from large magnetic fields, but for much of the affected area, they are not the problem.
Your plan to use a steel ammo can has merit – as long as you close the seam created by the lid and rubber gasket! Otherwise you don’t get much shielding. You could sand off the paint and use copper or aluminum tape to cover the gap from lid to case. It’s sold for use in EMC testing and features a conductive adhesive.

Transistor gear is susceptible – vacuum tube gear is much more hardened. But the prospect of having to replace tubes in a major SHTF scenario drives many people to buy solid state gear. So there are trade offs to consider. – Sun Dog

 

James:
First, the misconception on the effectiveness of chicken wire. It is correct to state that any wavelength that is shorter than the holes in the chicken wire will pass through it as if it isn’t there. However, EMP is a broadband RF signal and most of the energy is in the lower frequencies. Almost no energy will remain at frequencies high enough to penetrate the wire, making damage highly improbable.
The basic design of a Faraday cage is to have a space that is entirely enclosed by a conductive surface with the lowest possible resistance. The best Faraday cage would be a hollow cube of gold. Of course, with no door, this is not a terribly practical design. More typically, top end Faraday cages were made of two layer of copper screening attached to a wooden frame with no electrical connection between the layers. The door would have the same two layers and some sort of copper fingers would be on the doors to make the electrical connection to the rest of the cage. Any power going into the cage would have some big filters on it to prevent any RF from going into or out of the cage.
The most common Faraday cages that are in people’s homes are microwave ovens and computer cases. Microwave ovens were originally called radar ranges because they heat your food with the radio waves from a radar transmitter. Needless to say, it designed to heat only food and not the user so these are designed to prevent the RF from escaping. Just make sure that no one can plug them in if you have your electronics stored in them. Similarly, computers are notorious emitters of RF interference due to their use of square wave clock signals. All the cases that I have seen are pretty much solid and the newer ones have the fingers to insure that any removable panels maintain electrical connection.
Ammo cans can be used but are not perfect because the gasket and paint prevent good electrical connection between the lid and the box. Aluminum foil is an amazingly convenient material to make a cage out of. Chicken wire can be used, but you will have to solder it together to get the good electrical connection. Virtually any metal box will provide some protection, including ovens and refrigerators. As stated in the original comments, the cage will not be effective if penetrated by antenna or power lines. Cars, being made of metal, will also provide some protection. Multiple layers of metal will provide additional protection, but must not contact each other. Put your electronics in a plastic bag with desiccant, wrap it foil, another plastic bag, and put it in the modified ammo can.
The basic rule of thumb is that susceptibility to EMP damage is proportional to size of the collection area (usually the antenna or power line) and inversely proportional to the size of the electrical component [gate]s. The first thing that anyone can do is put all their sensitive electronics on power strips or better yet surge protectors with EMI filtering. Doing this will allow a quick disconnect from the power lines should a threat arise. The filters will also provide a small amount of protection should an unanticipated event occur. Back in the 1980s, QST magazine did a three part article on EMP. As part of this series, they exposed a handheld radio to an EMP simulator, with no damage to the radio. Based on this, it reasonable to expect that a fair amount of electronics will survive, so long as they are not plugged in.
For the record, I am an RF Engineer. While I do not work in the EMP field, I have read up on EMP from what sources I could.
Note that Wikipedia has entries for both Faraday Cage and Electromagnetic Pulse. – R.H.

Letter Re: Gangs and Escaped Convict Gang Members in TEOTWAWKI

Jim,
First off I don’t want to come across as a dooms day advocate or an alarmist, but….last night while channel flipping I came across a program on Court TV. It was about the gangs that are in prisons. Mostly in the south west and western regions of the United States. I should have remembered the title but I don’t. Anyway, it was an eye opening session for me. I recalled the different books I have read about post TEOTWAWKI and Mutant Zombie Bikers (MZBs) scenarios. The descriptions in the books are vivid as to their ruthlessness, however, I think they pale in comparison to the real gangs in prisons.
These prison gangs are racially centered re: Hispanics and blacks. There apparently weren’t enough of the other races to even consider for the show. The Hispanic gangs are controlled by the Mexican Mafia. [JWR Adds: Actually, there are at least two major gangs that are rivals: the Mexican Mafia (a.k.a.Los Sureños) and La Nuestra Familia (“Our Family”, a.k.a. Los Norteños). Each gang has dominance in particular regions.] I don’t believe the black gangs were that organized. Both races considered each other heavy rivals for control and dominance of the prisons.
The Hispanics that came into the prison were from “rival” Hispanic gangs, however, once they entered the prison they were part of the new prison gang. If they refused they were beaten, sliced and diced and often times killed. Big motivating factor to tow the line. The Hispanics and blacks are well disciplined as to their own gangs goals. Mostly to stay in shape to be a warrior for the gang and their race. That was the word that one Hispanic gang member said in an interview. He was very proud of it and of his being a member. He would do what ever was asked of him. These men are in the kind of shape most of us can only dream of. They do nothing all day but prepare to fight, to be warriors for what ever cause their handlers deem important. No questions asked.
Of course this concerns me. I think of post TEOTWAWKI times and know that one of the areas of concern when the infrastructure is gone is the release of these individuals into the mix. I suddenly envision the movie The Postman with walled communities. If a post TEOTWAWKI gets to the point of gangs of this caliber roving around the country side we will have a big problem on our collective hands. Imagine them with weapons and leadership. A lot of us are probably over 40 years. Many probably a lot older. We are in a really bad way physically to deal with this. I see a time that will make the dark ages look like a Sunday school picnic. Suddenly I felt I and my loved ones were on the bottom of the food chain.
Again, I know I sound alarmist but it’s a fact we can’t overlook in our preparedness efforts. Retreat security, training, whether it’s shooting, squad tactics, medical, has to be in the forefront for us. Establishing clear fields of fire, kill zones, etc need to be planned out and carried out to the best of our abilities. Training that is fun for the whole family. That’s what this is all about in a nut shell is Plain Jane survival.
Maybe this was a little wake up call. Every now and then needed to keep us on track. We all work jobs during the day and on the weekends trying to make ends meet. Not a whole lot of time to do other things. I was wondering if some time can be spent in this area for your readers. . Maybe some readers with prior military experience could chime in? Concerned, – Larry in Kansas

Odds ‘n Sods:

It is interesting to see that the price of crude oil has drifted down to around $70 per barrel and because of growing supplies (there is actually a shortage of storage space!) it is expected to drift lower still in coming months. Meanwhile, the price of gold is holding solidly over $620 per ounce and the price of silver is advancing past $12.70. But wait a minute… The “experts” tell us that oil and precious metals have their prices “tied.” Obviously the silver and gold prices are telling us a different story. I think that the coming year will see some heart stopping action on the metals bourses. My recommendation remains unchanged: Sell most of your dollar denominated assets and buy tangibles. Silver is my favorite tangible. (Guns, ammo, and productive farm land are close behind.)

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NAIS Premises ID is being expanded to include gardens and orchards in Pennsylvania! Of course then it will not be just National Animal Identification System. It will probably be called the NRIS (National Resource Identification System) When a government starts identifying “resources”, watch out! Please spread the word about the insidious NAIS scheme. Write to your congressmen. (I know that it’s hard with the full implications of this program, but try not to sound like a lunatic when you are writing or talking.)

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Last week I received a sample of a plastic repair patch product called Rec Repair. It comes in a rigid plastic patch with an adhesive backing. The nifty thing about these is that the patches can be heated (for example with a MRE heater or a heat gun) and then formed to match various contours. The manufacturer says that it can be used to repair holes, cracks or tears in plastic, fiberglass, metal, resin, or composite surfaces. Rec Repair looks like a handy item for repairs on RVs or for other uses around a retreat. We plan to keep a few of these in our camping trailer.

The Memsahib’s Quote of the Day:

“I’m often asked why I make such a ‘big deal’ about choosing conservative Christians, Messianic Jews, or Orthodox Jews for neighbors. The plain truth is that in a societal collapse there will be a veritable vacuum of law enforcement. In such times, with a few exceptions, it will only be the God fearing that will continue to be law abiding. Choose your neighborhood wisely.” – James Wesley, Rawles

Note from JWR:

We are pleased to welcome our latest advertiser, PrepareNow.com. They sell long term storage food. Their specialty is the excellent Gourmet Reserves brand. Because they have established distributor level high volume status with the canner, they offer the best pricing in the country on this brand. Be sure to visit their web site and check out their products. BTW, if you mention SurvivalBlog when you contact them, they have promised to provide their very best discounted price as well as a special deal on shipping.

Two Letters Re: Canned Coffee Beans

Jim:

[Regarding A.P.’s letter posted on August 26th] I’m one of those guys who drinks coffee from dawn to dusk, so I was most interested in the thread on coffee storage.

I keep 36 large cans of Maxwell House in my cool-storage pantry (60 degrees in the summer, 40 degrees in the winter). I cycle through the supply on a regular basis, taking about a year to go thru entire stock. In a worst-case scenario, I’d cut back to a can a month and would thus have a 3-year stash.

Yeah, I know… the Starbucks sippers turn their nose up at me and insist that five dollar a pound beans are much better. I suppose they are… just like a T-bone steak is tastier than a can of Tuna… but when your belly is empty and the grocery store shelves are bare… a can of Starkist sure beats staring at an empty plate. – Dutch in Wyoming

 

Mr Rawles
Quality brand (Maxwell House or equal) canned ground coffee (full metal can only) will store for over 20 years. I was given a very large number of 3 lb cans in 1995 that my Father had bought and stored on a pantry shelf . When opened the coffee was as fresh as the day it was canned and I date it by the expiration date on the discount coupons packed inside the cans, all had expired 20 to 22 years before. I am a heavy coffee drinker and it took me 3 years to drink up this stash and it was good to the last drop. – F.S.

Letter Re: Jericho TV Series

Jim:
I don’t know if you watch much TV, but this new show Jericho is going to spur survivalism interest, I can see right now. I just watched the pilot (downloaded off the Internet – it won’t be airing for a few more weeks, and will be on CBS) but it was really well done. Small town deals with the aftermath of a multiple nuclear strike on the US. It covers
radios and TV being down (a hammer is mentioned briefly as the only one able to get out for info), gas runs, panic at grocery stores, and prisoners being cut loose. It was very smartly done and I think it’s going to be of interest to your readers. – Kitiara (of Forever Vain fame)

Letter Re: Pat Buchanan’s Book State of Emergency

Jim,
I am about halfway thru the new book by Pat Buchanan –‘State of Emergency’– and its scaring the hell out of me. I’ve followed the Illegal Alien story for yrs, ever since I landed back in California in 1989 after my hitch in the U.S. Air Force and I thought I had a handle on it. The statistics and figures that Pat puts forth are daunting–and quite depressing. This nation is facing the largest problem in its history with this invasion–I’m not downplaying any of the threats we face with the radical Islamists–that is yet one more frightening scenario–but I truly believe that the U.S. is under siege–I suggest all Americans load up on all essentials as I do not trust the government to resolve the Invasion problem. I would even predict that the government will soon close the door on civilians purchasing many of the things we consider necessary i.e. Guns, cheap surplus ammo from overseas and survival type gear. It would appear the government will not want us to deal with the invasion the old fashion way–and they are not going to either. I have lost ALL faith in our leadership, regardless of party. We are truly at a fork in the road and it appears we are following the road taken by the long deceased Roman Empire. Its hard to contest the facts that Pat has laid out, though some will try. Its is clear as well the southwest is gone. Its just a matter of a few decades (maybe sooner) before this part of the country is no longer under the control of the U.S. government. Again, load up on all gear..and relocate out of the southwest, you don’t want to be caught behind enemy lines. Thanks, – Jason (in North Idaho)

Letter Re: SurvivalBlog RSS Feed

Hello James,
Last week you mentioned publishing content in the MobiReader format so that it is accessible to readers using PDAs or cellular phones with text windows. I have not used that software specifically, but would like to bring pRSS Reader to your attention. pRSS Reader is a free RSS reader that runs on Windows Mobile devices, and is the software I use to read SurvivalBlog daily. You may want to suggest this option to your readers who prefer to read the blog on a mobile device. The software will automatically check for updates to the blog at a configurable interval, and even has a handy “Today-Screen” plugin so that you can quickly look at your device’s main screen to see if there are any updates to the blogs you’ve subscribed to. pRSS reader can be downloaded at: http://pda.jasnapaka.com/prssr/
Regards, – DLF

Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard that James at Gun Parts Guy (one of our advertisers) is running a big Labor Day sale on FAL and L1A1 parts and manuals. There are some great items such as complete metric replacement spring sets, bolts and bolt carriers, scope mounts, and stock furniture. The sale ends on September 6th. If you own a FAL or L1A1, or clones thereof, then stock up! OBTW, for owners of other .308 Winchester / 7.62mm NATO rifles: one of the items that James has on sale is .308 ruptured case extractors. You should have one of these for each rifle that might ever be used for self defense. Tell him that Jim Rawles sent you.

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John Adams mentioned: Honda to put focus on diesel, not ethanol

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I just started reading the much-awaited novel “Domestic Enemies“, by Matt Bracken. (He was also the author of the speculative novel “Enemies Foreign and Domestic“, which I greatly enjoyed.) This one is set slightly farther in the future and describes the “Reconquista.” I will post a full review once I’ve finished reading the book. Nothing but great stuff, thusfar!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The notion that you can somehow defeat violence by submitting to it is simply a flight from fact. As I have said, it is only possible to people who have money and guns between themselves and reality." – George Orwell, 1941

Note from JWR:

If the collective knowledge/wit/wisdom you encounter reading SurvivalBlog is worth ten cents a day or more to you, then please consider becoming a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted.

Letter Re: Source for Low Cost First Aid/Medical Supplies?

Sir:
I was wondering if you had any direction to a source for “bulk” medical supplies. Thinking about tape, gauze, non-stick pads, burn dressings, etc – all the items that if you are faced with “any” type of serious wound you will go thru in large quantities For example 4″x4″ gauze pads – buying those from your local pharmacy in the 10 to box quantities would bankrupt you – they are available in 100 count sleeves for almost the same cost as a single box of 10. Thanks – MSJ

JWR Replies: Wound dressing items that have essentially unlimited shelf life (such as gauze and splints) can and should be bought in bulk. If you can buy those from surplus outlets for “pennies on the dollar” then don’t hesitate to buy a lifetime supply. But keep in mind that items with adhesive (band-aids, bandage tape, butterfly closures, et cetera) have a limited shelf life, so don’t go hog wild buying those. Otherwise, some will surely go to waste. Some items can be found on eBay at reasonable prices. A few dealers that I can recommend are: JRH Enterprises, Ready Made Resources, Safe Solutions, Sportsman’s Guide, and Nitro-Pak. Other low cost U.S. military surplus sellers include Civil Defense Supplies and Spruce Mountain Surplus. (I haven’t done business with either of the latter, so I can’t vouch for them.) A vendor with a very wide selection of civilian wound dressings (albeit at slightly higher prices) is Quality Medical Supplies.

 

Letter Re: Long Slide Glocks, and Pistol Caliber Selection

Dear Jim:
I am thinking of getting two Glock 17Ls. One for me and one for the wife. I like my G19 but want the longer barrel. My gunsmith suggests a Springfield M1911 with a long barrel. I don’t mind paying more for it and like the idea of faster follow up shots. Your thoughts on reliability versus firing speed? – S.F. in Hawaii

JWR Replies: Since you already have training time and muscle memory invested in Glocks, you probably shouldn’t switch to 1911s now. (And this comes from a dyed-in-the-wool 1911 fan.) The 17L and the Glock 24 (the Glock long slide in .40 S&W) are essentially target pistols. For typical carry, you are probably better off with a standard length Glock 17 or Glock 22. As concealed carry guns, the longer barrel Model 17L and 24 tend to be pistols that get left at home, due to their bulk and weight. But they make fine as belt holster guns at a fixed site retreat.

IMHO, a more important consideration than the maker and model choice is caliber selection. I consider 9mm Parabellum to be at best a marginal stopper for two legged predators. Before you commit further to the 9mm logistics train by buying your #2 and #3 pistols in that caliber, you might consider trading in your Glock 19 (or setting it aside for barter/charity) and instead getting equivalents to what you had planned, but chambered in .40 S&W. (Namely, a Glock 23 and a couple of Glock 22s or perhaps Glock 24s.) And if you and your wife both have large hands, even better would be the more sure stopping .45 ACP (viz., a Glock Model 30 and a couple of Glock 21s.) Test shoot these models first to see if they are comfortable for you. (You might have to do some hunting on a Glock owners’ forum such as Glock Talk to find the owner of a Glock with a grip reduction on your island that you can borrow.)

Selecting a large caliber is a particularly crucial issue there in Hawaii, where you cannot legally possess pistol magazines over 10 round capacity. (A stupid law, but sadly it is unlikely to be repealed.) Since you are limited to 10 round magazines anywhere in the Islands, then you might as well have just 10 rounds of a more adequate stopper: Preferably .45 ACP, but .40 S&W will suffice if you have hands that are too small to comfortably grip the big .45 frame. If those models feel just a bit too big/fat, there is an neat option for you: Both Robar and Arizona Response Systems do very nice machined grip reductions on Glocks. In his excellent book Boston’s Gun Bible, our compadre and Glockophile extraordinaire Boston T. Party mentions that a large frame (G20/G21) Glock with a grip reduction feels a lot like holding a Browning Hi-Power. Boston highly recommends frame reductions. I have done business with both Robar and Arizona Response Systems for more than a decade. Both firms are very competent and reputable. But as I recall, Robar tends to have higher gunsmithing rates and a deeper backlog of orders. So you should probably go with T. Mark Graham at Arizona Response Systems. OBTW, if your budget allows it, have tritium sights installed at the same time as the grip reduction job. If nothing else, you will save money on ammo when shooting those pesky mongooses at night, once you have tritiums installed.

One other possible option for you is the slim-framed Glock 36, which is a compact .45 ACP model with a single column magazine. Unfortunately they are limited to 6 round magazines, which is a distinct disadvantage. Buying this model also loses the great advantage of magazine interchangeability between Glock 21s and Glock 30s. You can of course use a Glock 21 magazine in a Glock 30, but not vice versa. (Just buy Glock 21 magazines for nearly all of your spares.) Therefore, I would only consider the G36 model if you are A.) absolutely sold on the Glock design, and B.) you feel the need for the stopping power of .45 ACP, and C.) a Glock 21 or Glock 30 with a grip reduction job completed is still too big for your hands.

I’m not fond of the Glock 10mm models (Model 20 and 29) which have an uncomfortably loud muzzle blast.) Sourcing 10mm ammo is also a potential source of worry. (By comparison, 9mm, 40 S&W and .45ACP ammo is downright ubiquitous, but finding cartridges in less popular calibers like 10mm, .45 GAP, or .357 SIG anytime after TSHTF may be problematic.) For these reasons I don’t recommended Glock 10mm pistols at all.

I’m a big believer in getting plenty of spare magazines and spare parts. Used 10 round Glock magazines are often found for very reasonable prices (sometimes under $10 each) at Buddy Hinton’s Parts and Accessories Market Board. Since magazines are easily misplaced and are the most fragile part of a pistol, I recommend getting a dozen spare magazines per pistol. (You might not need that many in your lifetime, but your grandkids will thank you for looking ahead.) As previously mentioned here at SurvivalBlog, Glockmeister is a great place to purchase spare parts. Our friend and Glockophile Kitiara at the highly addictive Forever Vain Blog is quick to point out that Glock replacement parts are largely interchangeable and are currently quite inexpensive, so stock up,. She also mentions that with a copy of the PTOOMA Glock Armorer’s manual (printable from the CD-ROM) you can be your own armorer with minimal study.

As for holsters and magazine pouches, I like the kydex Blade-Tech brand. (The best buy is their belt/paddle Combo Pak special.) That is what we use here at the Rawles Ranch for nearly all of our autopistols. Since you are limited to 10 round magazines in Hawaii, you should also get a quad magazine pouch for each of your pistols. BTW, Kitiara–who knows far more than I ever will about Glocks–says that she prefers the Comp-Tac brand kydex holsters.

Lastly, I should remind you and all the other SurvivalBlog readers that no matter how nice a pistol you select, it is almost worthless without proper training. Investing in firearms training is better than investing in life insurance. Firearms training can literally save your life and the lives of your loved ones. (And winning a gunfight is much more satisfying than having your heirs collect on your life insurance policy.) I recommend that you take the Four Day Defensive Handgun course at Front Sight, or a comparable course at another qualified school (such as Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, or John Farnham’s school.) That will be money well spent!